• Memorial Day . Eric Paliwoda was a big dude. Probably six-foot-six. Those big, meaty hands that would swallow your own in a tight handshake. His jaw stuck out, exaggerated by a lip full of dip. He was raised in Connecticut, but seemingly emerged from a Nebraska cornfield, ready for war. A short, ten-year-old Memorial Day piece worth pulling up again for the weekend. Quiet, well-said, no flag-waving . ( STSW )

• The Legend of Chief Shannon Kent : On the late Navy cryptologist and Senior Chief — a profile of a remarkable career and the quiet community that knew her. Memorial-weekend reading. ( Coffee or Die ) see also Fullbore Friday: The secrets we keep . Every Naval officer should know his name, but few do. He was born in 1925, and he is still with us. What a story. Imagine you are just your standard-issue U.S. Navy fleet Lieutenant in your late 20s. You missed the big war, but you are ear deep in the next one, the Korean War.…